Michel Figueroa v. Attorney General of Canada (Part 1 of 2)

Michel Figueroa v. Attorney General of Canada (Part 1 of 2)

The court hears arguments in case #28194, Michel Figueroa v. Attorney General of Canada, on November 5, 2002.

Michel Figueroa, the leader of the Communist Party of Canada, challenged the requirement in the Canada Elections Act that a political party must nominate candidates in at least 50 ridings in order to obtain and retain status as a registered party. The Ontario Court (General Division) found that the requirement unjustifiably infringed section 3 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and ordered that the requirement be read down to a two-candidate threshold. The Ontario Court of Appeal, however, struck down this ruling. Mr. Figueroa is appealing that decision to the Supreme Court.